Lifting and like sling or cradle.



E.. n. CALIHROP. LlFTlNG AND LIKE sLlNG 0R CRADLE.

l APPLICATION FILED JANI 26| I9I6. 1,177,927.

Patentedlpr. 4,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

ix fmII 7 I l du 2 ,za 26 A17 f5 16' w-wnm l2 EfR. CALTHBOP.

LIFTINGAND LIKE SLING 0R CRADLE.

APPLICATION FILED 1AN- 276 |916- y 1,177,927. Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 EVEBARD CLTHROP, LONDONQENGLAND.

`Lrrrrive AND LIKE sLING on CRADLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 191e.

' Application filed January 26,1916. serial No. 74,427,

To all'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EVERARD RICHARD CALTHRoP, a subject of the King of -Great Britain, residingat London, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented new and useful Improvements Relating to Lifting and like Slings or Cradles, of which the following is a specification.

-Mylinvention has reference to lifting and like slings and cradles and has for its object to provide animprovedsling orcradle whereby a. person may be comfortably and securely slung inany, desired position and to provide means for the rapid release of the person from the. sling when necessary.

More tparticularly the l invention relates to devices for the for the use of aviatorsof .the kind wherein the ends of the straps encircling the wearers body are secured together by fa releasing device upon the operation of which the ends A of the straps are freed so that the aviator may detach himself from the sling or har- 3 a section ness. Y A

In order'that my invention lmay be readily understood and carried into effect I will now proceed to describe the same fully for which purpose reference should .behad to the accompanying drawings in-which;

Figure 1 isa view .of my improved slingl or harness showing its application 'to a life saving parachute -for aeroplanes or like aerial craft. Fig. 2 isl anelevat'ion and Fig;

on line i-a of Fig. 2 of a device for instantaneously releasing the sling or harness so `thatthe whole maybe slipped .of the wearer. Eig. 4 is an elevation ofa slightly modified Lform l'of releasing device. Fig. 5 'illustrates' `modification lof the arrangement shofwfn njFig. 1 for connecting the sling orharnessto the aeroplane.

Referringgno'w ..to.Fig. l my improved sling or safetyh'arjnesscomprises two the arms. of the wearer-#may be inserted. Said members are connected by two straps adapted to pass across theshoulders one of said straps 2 beingprovided with adjusting means while to the :other 3 is secured one end 'of a strap 4 which for convenience -I will term the main suspension member whereby the sling as a whole is suspended from a rope 5i or the like. This main suspension strap is passed upward and-in order to provide a differential v movement thereby more evenly distributing the weight through an aforesaid purpose adapted cured to the flange 17 and a.

prefv l 17 and handle 19 with the of the Wearerover a roller 6 carried by' the rrope 5 or the like then downward eye or loop 7 to a belt 8 Aencircling the waist of the wearer. The strap 4 is then continued down land provided with a padded portion 9 adapted to pass between the legs of the wearerthenup to the aforesaid belt 8 where itis attached to a'common fastening device 10 the function of which will be hereinafter moire particularly explained. Secured to the aforesaid annular members or arm rings 1 are two adjustable straps 11 adapted to pass across the breast of the wearer said straps being connected to the waist belt 8 by the aforesaid common fastening device l0. This .fastening device is a somewhat important feature of m in vention as its function is to hold'the two Vends of the waist belt the end of the main suspension member and the lower ends of the breast straps .all securely Vin thelocked or operative position while at the same time Ypermitting by a single opera-tion. instantanev o-us release of the ends of the said straps s0l i may be slipped oil' the wearer.-

In Figs. 2 and 3- I havelshown a suitable formof .fastening device for `this purpose. It comprises a plate 12 having means such as the slots 13 and 14 for engaging respec- `tively one ofthe straps 1l and one end of the.l belt 8. Said plate.12 is provided witl, a Vcentrally disposed journal on which is rotatably mounted the sleeve 16 having a iiange 17. provided with two downwardly projecting portions 18 which'are adapted as will presently be explained to engage the members attached to the ends of the straps i 4 and 1l and the end 'of the belt 8. An operating handle 19 is riveted nut 20 engaged or otherwise se- .v

with the threaded portion ofthe journal 15 thus rotatably connecting plate 12. A stop 21 is provided `.on the plate. 12 to limit the movement of the handle 19. As above, stated the part of the common retaining and releasing device sofar described isA connected to one of the straps 1 1 and to one end.A of

- the bolt 8 and it istherefore necessary'to provide means for connecting thereto the .end of the other strap 11 .the endof the strap. 4 and the opposite end ofthe belt 8.

To this/end I provide the two plates 22 and 23 the -plate 22v having slots 24 whereby. the end ofthe belt 8 and the end of the breast sleeve 16 iangeV sion straps sling or harness to and a belt, of shoulder,

provision of the common releasing device hereinbefore described the operation of a single lever instantaneously disconnects the straps composing the harness leaving the aviator suspended by the arm rings l only, so that upon nearing the ground or encountering any obstacle such as a tree or the roof of a building the harness can be released and the avlator can easily slip one arm after the other out of the rings l and grasp said rings with his hands so. as to be unencumbered and thus enable him to effect asafe landing.

Claims.

1. A lifting sling or cradle comprising the combination with a pair of arm rings breast, and main suspension straps, and a common releasing device so arranged that upon operation of said device said belt, breast, and main suspen# will be so freed as to allowthe be slipped oli' the wearer.

In a lifting sling or cradle, the' combination of armurings, shoulder straps, a breast strap, means for connecting one end of each of said straps to the arm rings, a main suspension` strap, means for securing one end of said suspension strap to a shoulder strap, a belt, means for securing together belt and straps, and means operable by the wearer whereby said wearer may instantaneously release himself from said straps and belt.

3. In a lift nation of arm rings, for connecting one to the arm rings,

shoulder straps, means end of each of said straps a mam suspension strap,

llooped above and passing down the back and between the legs of the wearer, means for securing one end of said suspension strap to a shoulder strap, a belt, means for securing together the free ends of said belt and Straps, and means operable by the Vwearer whereby said wearer may instantaneously 'unfasten the ends of said belt and straps and release himself from the sling'.

4. In alifting sling or cradle, the combination of arm rings, shoulder straps and breast straps connected at one end to said rings, a main suspension strap having-one end secured to a shoulder strap, a belt, plates attaehedto the -free ends of said straps and belt, and means operable by the wearer for enabling said ends to be connected together and instantaneously released.

5. In a lifting nation of'arm rings, shoulder straps and a ing sling or cradle, the combi-l `the body of th sling or cradle, the combi- Voperable by th b reast strap connected `at one end to said rings, a main suspension strap having one end secured to a shoulder strap, a belt, plates secured to the free ends of said straps and belt, ,projections on said plates, and means e wearer for coacting with. sald projections to secure the plates tjo-A nation with a harness adapted to embrace e wearer, of a plurality of plates connected to the freeends of the elements of said harness, projections on the said plates, an angularly displaceable member, proJetions on said member and means operable by the wearer for enabling the projections on the angularly displaceable member to be engaged with or disengaged from the projections on the plates carried by the ends of the elements of the harness.

7. In a lifting sling or cradle, the combination with a harness comprising arm rings and straps and adapted to embrace the body of the wearer, wearer `whereby saidv wearer may instantaneously release himself from said harness, means whereby said harness may be detachably secured to an aeroplane or the like, a parachute secured to theeharness and to the aeroplane, and means operable by the wearer for simultaneously releasing said harness and parachute from the aeroplane.

of means operable bythe 8. In a lifting sling or cradle, the .com-

bination -of a harness comprising arm ringsand straps, a pluralityof devices for securing said harness around thel b'ody 'of the wearer,

and a lever operable by the wearer whereby 9. In a lifting sling or cradle, the combina# tion of a harness comprising arm rings and straps, a' plurality of devlces for securing said harness around the body of the wearer,

a lever operable by the wearer whereby said wearer may actuate said devices and instantaneously release himself 4from the harness, means whereby said harness may be detachably secured parachute securedto the harness and to the aeroplane, and means operable by the pilot for simultaneously releasing said harness and' parachute from the aeroplane.

j Evaluar momen' clmmzor.

to an aeroplane or the like, a4

himself from 'the f 

